Heart failure patients often return to the hospital

(WZZM) Heart failure has one of the highest hospital readmission rates among medicare and medicaid patients.

A new study finds memory problems and mental health issues are two of the big reasons why heart failure patients return to the hospital.

Dr. Mark Ketterer at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit says it's not the severity of the condition that brings patients back. It's actually the stress of adapting to a new routine.

Dr Ketterer said, "They're on many medications and a significant chunk of them, probably over half, are having memory problems. And if you have memory problems and you're supposed to take pills it usually doesn't work very well."

The study could help doctors predict and possibly prevent hospital readmissions saving more than $2,000 a day in Medicare penalties.